A Meditation on the Character of Abraham, the Father of the Fathers
Pope Shenouda III speaks about the character of our father Abraham and his great place in the Holy Bible as one of the greatest men of faith, to the extent that Christians are considered children of Abraham by faith. He explains that a person’s true life begins when his relationship with God begins, while a life lived away from God is like a life without a spiritual purpose.
The Call and the Departure
Abraham’s spiritual life began when God called him to leave his land, his relatives, and his father’s house and go to the land that God would show him. He obeyed and departed without knowing where he was going. The Pope explains that true faith means following God even when a person does not know the way or the future, because what matters is not the place to which a person arrives, but that God is with him along the way.
A Life of Pilgrimage and Worship
Abraham is presented in the lecture as a person who lived a life of pilgrimage. He was not attached to a particular land, but moved wherever God guided him. The tent was a sign of this pilgrimage, while the altar was a sign of his continual life with God and worship. Thus, Abraham’s life was connected with departing from evil, depending on God, and maintaining the altar in his life.
Trials and Weakness of Faith
Abraham’s life was not free from trials. He faced the trial of famine and went down to Egypt instead of waiting for God’s providence, then fell into fear and dependence on human schemes. The Pope explains that weakness of faith can lead to a chain of mistakes because when a person moves away from God’s guidance, he begins to depend on his human strength and fear people.
Abraham and Lot
The Pope presents Abraham’s situation with Lot, explaining that Abraham did not insist on his own interests, but allowed Lot to choose the land he wanted, while Lot chose the fertile land without considering the spiritual environment surrounding it. This situation reveals the difference between a person who allows God to choose for him and a person who chooses for himself according to personal benefit and outward appearance.
Love, Humility, and Courage
Although Lot separated from Abraham, their relationship did not turn into hostility. When Lot was taken captive, Abraham went to rescue him, showing that humility does not mean weakness and that a spiritual person can combine gentleness and courage at the appropriate time. Abraham also refused to take anything for himself from the king of Sodom so that it would not be said that the king of Sodom had made him rich, declaring his dependence on God alone.
Melchizedek
The Pope discusses Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek, who offered him bread and wine and blessed him, pointing to the importance of this event in the Bible and to its spiritual significance connected with the priesthood of Melchizedek. Abraham is also shown in this situation as a person who knows that true blessing and true riches come from God, not from kings or possessions.
Spiritual Application
The practical lesson from Abraham’s life is to trust in God and wait for His promises, rather than replacing God’s guidance with dependence on human strength or fear of people. We should also maintain our relationship with God and our worship of Him in every circumstance, and accept a life of spiritual pilgrimage when it requires us to distance ourselves from evil. Abraham’s life also teaches us to leave the right of choosing to God, to place our love for others above material interests, and to remain steadfast in faith even when the fulfillment of God’s promises is delayed.
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